This is the essence of an Italian mom -- she always wants you to eat, and she's always ready to give you something.

Growing up in my family, Easter was defined by my mother's Italian rice pies and my grandmother's famous Italian Ricotta Pie with Pineapple, which was so good, it practically caused a family feud back in the day.

Of all the Easter pies, my favorite has always been rice pie (torta di riso). Though there are regional variations for it, most sweet rice pies are made from eggs, rice (usually Arborio), ricotta cheese, and citrus (orange, lime, or, most popularly, lemon).

What makes Italian rice pie so irresistible? It's like having two pies in one. When it bakes, a bottom layer of dense, chewy rice forms that is topped with a separate layer of creamy, lemon-laced custard. (I even added Meyer lemon zest because there is no such thing a rice pie that is too lemony.)

Rice pie is traditionally served alongside ricotta pie for Easter Sunday dessert, but I'll let you in on a secret: the best time to eat it is Monday morning. Rice pie is served at room temperature, and Easter Sunday night, the leftovers get wrapped and refrigerated. Come Monday morning, that same rice pie is even better -- imagine rich, ricotta pie, creamy panna cotta, and old-fashioned, chilled lemon pudding all rolled into one amazing pie.

You don't have to be Italian or celebrate Easter to enjoy rice pie; it's a wonderful dessert anytime of the year. Since it's not overly sweet, it also makes a lovely brunch dish. Plus, for a pie, it's pretty low maintenance. All the ingredients get mixed together, and it only has a bottom crust, so there's no fussy lattice work to worry about.

There is one caveat: Never use Uncle Ben's rice.

My mom used it once instead of the starchier Arborio; the rice separated and became mushy, causing the custard to collapse. It happened about 20 years ago, and she still mentions it every year. (I think she has PTPS -- Post Traumatic Pie Syndrome.)

For the crust, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse about 10 times until the dough becomes pebbly in texture. Add the eggs and pulse repeatedly until the dough begins to stick together. Slowly add the ice water by the tablespoonful, while using a few long pulses. Add more drops of ice water as necessary, until the dough holds together well. Invert the dough onto a floured work surface. Form into a circle, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate while preparing the filling. (Dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before continuing.)

If you don’t have a processor, then combine the dry ingredients in a bowl; add chunks of chilled butter, and using a pastry blender or two forks, chop the butter until it resembles little pebbles. At this point, add the eggs and ice water, and stir with a spoon until the dough begins to form. Using your hands and working the dough as little as you can, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Knead until the dough holds together. Form the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic, and chill while preparing the filling. (Dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before continuing.)

To make the filling, place the rice and water in medium heavy-bottom saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook the rice, uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the rice is sticky. The rice should still be firm as it will finish cooking in the oven. Remove from heat and set aside.

Add the eggs and sugar to a large bowl and using a hand-mixer, beat until well combined. Add lemon extract and vanilla extract, and beat on low for about 10 seconds. Add the drained ricotta and beat on low for a few seconds until just combined. Add cooked rice and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined, making sure there are no clumps of rice. Place in the refrigerator.

Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Coat the 10.5-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll into an 11- inch circle. Transfer the dough to the prepared pie plate, gently pressing it into the bottom and sides. No fluted crust in necessary since, like a tart, the crust is flush with the filling. At this point, set the crust in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes to get it really chilled, which will make for a flakier crust.

Remove the chilled crust from the freezer and pour the filling to about 1/4 of an inch below the top of the crust, as it will puff up slightly when baking.Note: If you have some extra filling left over, then you can pour it into a small baking dish or ramekins for a crustless version, and follow the same baking instructions.

Bake for 1 hour or until the filling puffs up, turns golden, and is “set,” meaning it should not be jiggly when you gently move the pie plate from side-to-side. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Note: Though 1/2 cup arborio rice to 4 cups water or milk usually works perfectly, depending on the brand of rice, some absorb more, some less. If you find the rice is completely cooked after the 20 minutes and there is still some water left, you can simply drain it.

Note: I use a 10.5-inch pie plate, slightly larger than average. You can also make it in a 10-12- inch square or rectangular glass dish.

Note: Leftover rice pie can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Yum! Looks delish! Again - you make me laugh about Italian Moms. My mom literally sent me a moving truck of stuff when she moved - 47 years of marriage accumulated a whole bunch of stuff that wouldn't fit in her NYC apt. So...on to me! :)

Wow! That pie looks just like MY mom's! I love the sunny yellow dish too. Since I hate to make pie crust unless absolutely necessary, I make my Easter Pie a little differently. Even though you beat me to the punch, I'll be making some closer to Easter. I don't want to spoil my family TOO much! ;)

Wow, I'm so excited to learn about something new! I've never heard of rice pie. Sounds like a terrific dish to include in an Italian Gourmet dinner club party. Thank you for sharing your pie (and your mom) with us!

I have never seen this pie before. Looks delicious. We make a semi-liquid dessert with rice in sweetened milk.Your mum reminds me of mine and my MIL. Both of them also grew up cooking for lots of people and big families where almost everything revolved around food.

Have you ever heard saying "una fazza una razza" that's what they say in Greece for Greeks and Italians. That they are very much alike. I laughed with you mom because she reminded me of all Greek moms.Your rice pie looks great and for such a noble cause.

This recipe sounds delicious. Having a ba-log is great, huh? You have an excuse to document and share all these wonderful family recipes :-) Lucky me! I still haven't gotten round to making your grandma's ricotta pie, but it has been printed & just waiting for the right occasion. :-)

An early Easter treat! I love your take on traditional holiday dishes! This looks lovely and that sunny yellow lemon zest just makes me smile! (I'll stay away from the Uncle Ben's - I guess that goes for Minute Rice, too? :-D

This is perfect for the event Susan.Such a worthy cause!! I grew up next to Italian neighbours who always wanted me to eat.."Let me pinch your cheek" and "Eat, eat...you are too thin" are still what I remember to this day:D

This is such a great easter food. I have a lot of easter recipes from my grandma, but they're Eastern European in origin. Basically, if your grandmother was from a catholic country, easter and easter food is a big deal!

It's also in time for National Pi Day (3.14). My grandpa was Basque and use to make a rice pudding pie- this sounds so familiar! I'll have to whip this up and see cause we never got the recipe. This looks so sinfully good- thanks much!

ha! i think your mother has a point -- if you only have it once a year, how sad would it be if there were no leftovers?!? we all know that "once a year" means once at easter, and a few more times before the end of the post-easter week! :-)

*And* she wouldn't be a good Italian mother if she didn't have a spare giant cooking dish. I was just musing today how there are many fewer cooking traditions at easter than at Christmas, and anything that stands as an easter food tradition gets my approval.

This looks so homey and wonderful! I love rice pudding so I'm sure I will love this rice pie!

I loved reading your conversation with your mom...it reminds me of when I ask my great-aunt for recipes and she says things like "take one pork leg and one cow leg"...I'm like, "I'm not feeding my whole building!" :)

I'm making this right now, but having problems. The ratio of 1/2 cup arborio rice to 4 cups of water isn't working. After 25 minutes, the water still hasn't been absorbed. I ended up dumping a cup and a half of water off the rice. And now I'm ready to mix everything but I'm wondering if 4 cups of milk, which I think equals 1/4 gallon of milk can possibly be right?(16 cups=One gallon)

At first I thought this recipe would be exactly like my Nana's. Hers was also a favorite and a perfect Monday AM breakfast. Nana's recipe called for lots of pecans and cinnamon, with a cookie-like crust laid across the top.

I was trying to find an Italian Rice Pie recipe for my blog project with my RI Italian mom and the internet led me to you. Gorgeous pie and genius blog entry. My mom's dealing with the later stages of MS and when up for it gives me topics for my painting blog. Our most recent topic was when she was able to make all the holiday pies, with an added entry for the ever important "Italian Rice Pie."

I am so sorry to hear about your mom, Kim. MS is a cruel disease, difficult on both the patient and the caregivers. I think it's lovely that you're painting your mom's food memories. It's a beautiful tribute to her.

hi, it's looking delicious and I'm making this right now, I've never tasted rice pie before but having problems. I have Indian Rice, problem is that rice are brown, suggest me can i make this recipe with brown rice. Thx in advance

I have never made rice pie with brown rice, so I can't say for sure. But I do know that the rice needs to be very starchy and thick. So I don't think brown would work well. Can you get any type of white, starchy rice, like the kind used for risotto?

Thank You for posting this recipe. I have been looking for this for a long time. Not something that is generally written down, but in someone's head for many years and then passed down. It is also good with yellow raisins added. That is how my old boss from Salerno used to make it. Gracie!

I have never heard of anything like this before, but then again, I live in Dallas - we're not exactly known for our large Italian populations. Let me ask you - do you think it would be possible to make this without the bottom crust? Like instead of a rice pie, it might be like a crustless rice custard? I am imagining like so many other custard-filled pies that the bottom part would bake and sort of harden and make its own "crust". (Just thinking of gluten-free alternatives - the other is for me to whip up a gluten-free crust, of course.) Thanks for sharing this. It sounds decadent!

I just made this!! My mother is trying to find my grandmother's recipe for it.. but I couldn't wait so I made yours!! It looks like it came out wonderful! I did have some leftover and I put in to ramikins to bake.. just tasted those YUM!!!! Easter is tomorrow, we will slice into heaven then. :) Thanks for posting! Ooo yeah I also put lemon zest in the crust too. :)

I was just talking with an older male co-worker who grew up in South Philly and he said that this was his favorite pie, but he didn't have a recipe. This is great--reading your Mother's comments brings back the voices of my Italian lady neighbors who have gone to the big kitchen in the sky. I miss them!

I just made a crustless version of this pie, since pie crusts are not my forte. I grew up in an Italian family too and rice pie was a staple for Easter dessert. Thanks for sharing! Check out my post on your pie here: http://www.madebymichellec.com/?p=3838